Religion within the Public Sphere in Multi-religious Societies

In this forum Prof. Buckley will discuss religion within the public sphere of Indonesia and Canada. Starting with a philosophical observation on the reality of diversity and the diversity of reality, then he will move to the consequence of recognizing the constitutive role of “difference” referring to the MUI Fatwa on Religious Pluralism-July28, 2005 and the Quebec Bill. The outline of his talk and the introduction of Quebec Bill can be downloaded below:

Prof. Robert Philip Buckley is a scholar of religion in Indonesia and the McGill head of the IAIN Indonesia Social Equity Project, he possesses extensive experience working with Islamic higher education in Indonesia through Canadian International Development Agency bilateral projects. He has taught and lectured throughout the network of State Institutes of Islamic Studies/State Islamic Universities and played an active administrative and academic role in outreach program development within this educational system. His academic interests include the place of religion within the public sphere in multi-religious societies, questions about pluralism and identity in Indonesia, and how publically funded Islamic universities can assume a lead role in social development in Indonesia. Along with administrative background in development projects, Professor Buckley also has an established record of academic leadership in Canada. Professor Buckley’s formal training and the majority of his publications are within the field of 20th century German philosophy.